Welcome~

Looking for an exceptional guide to writing an application? Well, if your answer is yes, then congratulations, you're in the right place. If it's a no, then I suggest you re-think why you're here.

Whether or not you've heard about MoB before, here you are now, to hopefully take a glimpse at what makes us different from the rest of the PC. If that is why you've stumbled upon our page, then I welcome you guest, to MoB - Make or Break; the application guide directly from the PC~!

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Using the MoB Page
Using the MoB page is simpler than you think; just flick your eyes over to the left, you'll find all the links you need to navigate about the guide. If you want to return to neopets, then use the navigation bar at the bottom of the page to find your way back.
For optimized viewing, I'd suggest reading through the page as the links are presented~

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If you have any questions, feel free to throw a neomail at MoB's owner Sharrie. She regularly stalks her inbox, and would be more than happy to help~

MoB; History~

Make or Break, or MoB, began as a simple petpage that can be found here. Founded by the wonderful Sharrie, the page initially aimed at helping applicants around Neopia find the right path towards making the best application they could possibly make, so as to enhance their chances of obtaining their desired pet.
The page contains 'Dos' and 'Don'ts' for both petpage and neomail apps; it was clear people seemed to like this structure and used the page as a guide. And so it came to pass that it became a little more renown amongst the PC (Pound Chat), until it acquired 'regulars', who would critique applications and help those with a little less application knowledge.

All in all, the MoB page was a great success in a short space of time.
We had applicants thanking us and admitting the page was a great help - truly, we felt that it had been a good idea.

So why not go further - why not make an MoB guild?

And so, we did...

Who did? I hear you ask.

Along with some of the regulars from MoB, we all agreed that it would be great to push the MoB page further, and make it into a guild. Being the owner of MoB, it only made sense that we combined the two to create something so almighty and powerful, that the whole world would cower before us in terror and adoration…
And that's where the regulars came in, with their hard work and silly hats, on the 1st June 2009, Applicant's Make or Break was created~!

Prep Work~

Okay, so you've found the perfect pet you want to apply for! Excellent stuff, however you'll need to do a little prep work before you can even think about starting your application.
So let's get going; Ask yourself the following questions and answer truthfully.

Do you really want this pet?

Why do you want this pet? For the colour? Status? Name? Species? Design ideas?

Are you going to stay dedicated to applying? Are you sure you're not going to give up half way though?*

Do you have enough time to make a decent application?

Do you even have enough room to adopt the pet?

So, now we've cleared up why you want to apply, you now need to move onto some pretty basic planning stages. Some of them are listed below.

Read the rules, even read them a second time. If you're unsure about something, and it's not in the rules section, then mail the foster and ask.

Plan out a check list, in the corresponding time you have. Don't leave everything till the last week. Plan everything out in small sections to make everything easier and the quality will be better.

Ask yourself again, do you really want to apply?

If you've made a character up, brainstorm and make notes on it.

Ask yourself, do you like your character? If you answered no, then go back and re-think a few things. If you answered yes, then think about how you can develop this, and write your ideas down.

* Competition; when applying for a pet, part of your prep work is to consider the competition. This is the reason many people chose not to apply for a pet, because they see someone with "better" art or writing than themselves. If this kind of person sounds like you, then keep reading on. By sticking it out, you're gaining self confidence, and improving yourself greatly. You need to take great pride in your own creations. Confidence in applications and in yourself really shine through. Secondly, if you feel intimidated that much, then don't apply. If you really wanted to try and own this pet, you wouldn't give up so easily. Think about the aftermath of making a decision before you make one.

Petpage Do~

So; you've decided to try your hand at a petpage application, huh? Well, these points were taken from many different fosters and some applicants alike. Please don't feel like these things are compulsory, work with your strengths, not against them.

To get you started and motivated, make sure you have your prep work in front of you.

Start things off by having an application layout. This can be pre-made or one you've made especially for the pet. Make sure your layout is easy to use and looks aesthetically pleasing. Horrid placement, quality, or even colours can set the mood for your content… so use it to your advantage.

Make all content easy to read. Choose an easy to read font and colour. Make sure the size of your text is also readable, there is nothing worse than having to squint through your whole application.

Attempt to get to know the foster a little. Don't be all stalker like! No one wants to be stalked by a crazed applicant.

Designing a character seems to be the pin point of most petpage applications. Fosters like to see how creative you are, so don't limit yourself when designing a character. Just make sure everything is explained clearly.

Character is especially important, because for an application or just a petpage to work, it all needs to tie together. The character defines the story, the art, even the colour scheme and sometimes the writing style.

If you are planning to write a story, do so now. Stories are one of the main chunks of text and aspects in an application. A well written story can really sell your application.

If you plan to make any changes to the pet; gender, colour, species etc… make sure you can and make these changes clear at the beginning of your application.

Although artwork seems to be one of the most important things in an application, if you're not too good at art, then don't pressure yourself to do lots of it. Just one or two pieces is enough to show you've tried. You could always get some fan art to make up for that! If you are an artist however, you need to keep your application balanced. Don't rely on your art skills too heavily.

Do you role play your neopets? Do you intend to role play the pet you're applying for? If your answer is yes, then get role playing and show off your awesome RP skills! This can help develop your character by seeing how they interact with others. If you don't role play, then don't feel like you have to do it.

Try to keep your application formal yet relaxed and loose. Fosters don't want to read a business essay, but they don't want to read chat speak and a joke on every line. Adding in humour in small amounts can break up your application from the seriousness.

Be creative. Do things you've never done before. Try thinking outside the box. Not all applications are the same, there is something special about each one. There is always something you remember about an application that makes you like and remember it. Stand out in the crowd.

When writing your plans section, make sure everything is clear as day. Where you can, back things up with evidence too, like future petpage, petlookup, petpet etc…

Sell yourself in your plans section~ If you intend to enter the pet you're applying for in the BC, have you entered before, have you won before?

If you've done other things with your pets, such as customizing, entered in the Neopian Times, Pet spotlight etc… mention it in your application. It shows that you care and work hard for what you have achieved, just don't go bragging about it.

Be honest throughout your application. If you don't RP then don't say you will. If you don't enter into the BC, then don't say you will. It makes you look like a fool and why would you want to say one thing and then do another!

Finally, check you've got everything in your application in order. Go through your checklist which you made during the prep work, and check you've got all the sections filled out to the best of your ability.

Ask for some critiques from people. The best place to get them is on the Pound Chat Boards. This will help you improve your application further, and see if there is anything you need to add/change.

Check back to the rules page one last time, and then send in your application! Congratulations on making your petpage application! All there is left to do now is wait for a decision!

Petpage Don't~

The following points were taken from fosters and applicants alike. If you find yourself doing any of the following, please think about it.

Stealing. One thing you will regret doing for the rest of your neopian life! Stealing anything, layouts, images, text, practically anything you did make/do yourself is not tolerated in applications. You will be found out one way or another.

Try to steer away from the chat speak. The one thing in almost every fosters rules is No chat speak. That is there for a very good reason. It makes you look like a fool.

Don't go breaking any rules. It's a general don't for any application really. Rules are meant to be broken, but not in application land.

Kissing up to your foster. Try not to become a stalker of your foster. You do not need to grant them every wish on their wish list and tell them they look beautiful.

Following from the last point, bothering your foster about what they like best in a petpage. It's your application, impress them without them having to tell you what to do.

Harassing other applicants about their applications, does not make you cool.

Now onto the actual content part, do not EVER call the pet you are applying for an it. All neopets are given a gender for a reason. So use the correct gender.

Make sure you spell the pets name correctly, or even have the right pet name in the application!

When writing, try not to change the subject too often. Finish one point before you move on to another.

Do not trade the pet you are applying for. If you're applying with the intention of trading, then I have no words for you. Unless the owner deems it okay, it's not.If you are an avid pet trader, and are serious about adopting the pet at hand, state that the pet will never be UFT or UFA for that matter.
That also goes for most people, as it's just a general thing to cover.

OMG SHE/HE IS MY DREAM PET!!!!!!!!!! = No.

Over use of the exclamation mark, demonstrated above, shows that you need to have another lesson on grammar. It's annoying and when over used in different and several sentences, it gets tiresome to read.

Tense changes. The one thing which can seriously mess up any simple application is, tenses, it needs to be the same throughout your application or in the correct section.
Or Sharrie will be angry with you.
See the tense change there?
It's baaaaaaad.

If you plan to give your pet a history of some kind, try to steer away from the neglectful previous owner, and you're the happy loving owner who takes them away and saves them. And we all live oh so happy.
Remember that the so called previous owner you're referring to, could be your foster.

An essay. Huge blocks of text are like a portal to darkness.

Neomail Do~

Neomails are a little harder to work with, so try to stick to some simple guidelines, and consider the following things when you next do a neomail application.
Please do not feel like you have to live by these suggestions, they are here to help.

Love the rules.

Make sure you've neomailed the right person.

Using the correct name and gender is key.

Pace yourself. Most fosters don't want to see more than two neomails, as it clogs up their inbox.
Keep everything short and snappy, to the point.

Make your account look totally epic win and amazing. You will most likely be judged upon your account, so make it look good at all times.

If you find that you run out of room on your neomail, or want to know how much more text you can add. Follow these steps.
1. Hover over the "My account" button on the navigation.
2. Click "preferences" and you'll be taken to your site preferences page.
3. Tick the box which says "Plain Text Neomail".
4. Go back to sending your neomail and you'll be able to see how many characters you have left!

If you create a design for the pet, shove it on a petpage and add a link to it in your neomail. It saves time and space in explaining it.

Neomail don't

Neomails are a little harder to work with, so lots of things can go wrong in them. The following things are mostly commonly found in a bad neomail application.
Again, if you find yourself doing any of the following, think it through.

Mailing the wrong person.

Breaking the rules.

Having sad pets. Would you want your pet you're adopting out to go to someone with sad pets?

Incorrect use of name and gender. It's not that difficult to search up the pet to see the gender or name! (You'd have to know the name to search them up!)

Spending the whole neomail saying the following things.
1. It is my dream pet.
2. He/she is my dream pet.
3. He/she/it will be fed and played with every day.
4. I will love he/she/it.
5. I will cure he/she/it.
6. I will never abandon/neglect/ let it/she/he be sad.
7. Can I adopt it/she/he?

Talking about yourself and nothing else. Who really wants to know what film you watched at the cinema last night?!

Being a liar. Don't say things you know you're not going to do.

Constantly mailing the owner to see if you are chosen.

Contact MoB~

If you have anything to say about the page at all, then I do urge you to mail me. Whether it be from saying how the guide helped you, what a load of dung this is, or just wanting to have your point added to the page. I regularly stalk my inbox, so feel free!

There is only one owner of MoB and that is me, Ikutsa, or you might know me as Sharrie.
The MoB page will only ever be hosted on www.neopets.com/~Kaisui.

If you see anyone pretending to be myself/Kaisui or have stolen anything from this guide, please do contact me ASAP.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being the owner of MoB and running this page. I'd always wanted to share my application experience and knowledge with people. Along with many other experienced players this guide has been made possible. I'd like to thank everyone that makes a contribution to this page. It enables users to complete their aspirations. THANK YOU to all who submit MoB points, you're helping all the applicants around. (:
I would try to name and link to you all, but there are just too many. Dx
I appreciate all of your suggestions! :3

Graphics~

Here are just a few buttons that you can display around your account to advertise MoB. (:

Here is the base code to use -

Simply change the 1 in the image url to the number of the button you wish you use.

2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

Credits~

Thank you to all who have submitted MoB points, and have helped this application guide grow~
Thank you to those who have expressed how MoB has helped them, it means alot to me to see that MoB has helped you~!

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It is a journeyI must face...alone.*dramatic music*

I want to stay on Neopets,where the dangers ofMeepit invasion are taken seriously.

You've clicked on a link that will take you outside of Neopets.com. We do not control your destination's website, so its rules, regulations, and Meepit defense systems will be different! Are you sure you'd like to continue?

It is a journeyI must face...alone.*dramatic music*

I want to stay on Neopets,where the dangers ofMeepit invasion are taken seriously.